ABT’s New ‘Swan Lake’ to Bow in Costa Mesa

The world premiere of the American Ballet Theatre’s new “Swan Lake” will be presented at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa this fall.

Center officials announced this week that ABT, directed by Mikhail Baryshnikov, will appear Nov. 29-Dec. 11 as part of the center-sponsored Classic Ballet Series.

The series also will include the Joffrey Ballet; the Moscow Classical Ballet, which is on its first tour of the United States, and the Royal Spanish National Ballet (Real Ballet Nacional de Espana), on its first tour of the West Coast. The Joffrey will present the West Coast premiere of its new production of Eugene Loring’s “Billy the Kid,” in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the work.

Choreographer, designer and casting for ABT’s new “Swan Lake,” to be created for the company’s 50th anniversary, will be announced. Reliable sources have indicated that the staging will be by Baryshnikov, but ABT representatives said no one has been named, and that it also is too early to say whether Baryshnikov will be dancing in Orange County.

Touring with the Moscow company of about 65 dancers will be 49-year-old Bolshoi ballerina Yekaterina Maximova.

Dates and repertory for the Royal Spanish, Moscow and Joffrey companies follow:

--The Royal Spanish National Ballet, Aug. 2-7. Repertory will include Jose Granero’s “Medea” (music by Manolo Sanlucar), Alberto Lorca’s “Ritmos” (Rhythms) (music by Jose Nieto) and Martin Vargas’ “Flamenco” (traditional music). The dances combine classical ballet and flamenco styles.

--Moscow Classical Ballet, Oct. 4-9. Works will include “Divertissements (The Mischiefs of Terpsichore),” which includes excerpts from ballets such as “Le Corsaire,” “Don Quixote,” “La Bayadere,” among others; Natalia Kasatkina and Vladimir Vasiliov’s “Creation of the World” (music by Andrei Petrovas), and Kasatkina and Vasiliov’s “Romeo and Juliet” (music by Prokofiev). Kasatkina and Vasiliov are co-artistic directors of the company.

--Joffrey Ballet, April 19-23, 1989. Repertory will include Loring’s “Billy the Kid” (music by Copland), Nijinsky’s “Le Sacre du printemps” (music by Stravinsky) and works to be announced. “Billy” will be staged by Patrice Whitehead, who studied with Loring at UC Irvine. Loring founded the UCI Dance Department in 1965 and was chairman of it until 1981.

NYCO Engagement A new production of Verdi’s “Rigoletto” will be one of three works offered during a one-week engagement by the New York City Opera next January at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa.

These appearances, sponsored by the arts center, will be the New York company’s only West Coast engagement. New York City Opera last appeared at the center in January, 1987.

Announced programming is as follows:

“Rigoletto” (Jan. 17 and 19) in a production by Tito Capobianco; Mozart’s “Die Zauberflote” (Jan. 18 and 20), staged by Lotfi Mansouri, and Lehar’s “The Merry Widow” (Jan. 21-22), directed by Robert Johanson.

“Rigoletto” and “Zauberflote” will be sung in the original Italian and German, respectively, with English supertitles. “Merry Widow” will be sung in English.

The new “Rigoletto” will first be presented at Lincoln Center in New York July 12. Sets and costumes will be designed by Carl Toms.

“Zauberflote” was staged for City Opera in 1987 by Mansouri, who was named general director of San Francisco Opera in March (he will assume full-time duties in January, 1989). The production was broadcast over public television on the “Live From Lincoln Center” series last October.

The current staging of “Merry Widow,” created in 1982, is now listed by the company as a “major revival.” The sets are by Helen Pond and Herbert Senn, costumes by Suzanne Mess. Casting and musical direction are to be be announced in the fall.

Series tickets for NYCO’s two- and three-opera packages range from $32 to $153. Tickets to individual operas will range from $15 to $52 and will be available later this year. Information: (714) 556-2787.